Sunday, February 27, 2011

Rack of Lamb with herb/mustard crust1 or more racks of lamb frenched (approx 6 cutlets per rack)

Mustard Crust (for 1 rack of 6 cutlets)2 generous tablespoons of Dijon mustardZest of one lime (or lemon)1 teaspoon of powdered lemon myrtle1 teaspoon-ish of dried thyme or lots of fresh leaves from about three stems

Mix crust ingredients together.

Heat oven to 200C (180C fan forced). Place lamb on rack bone-side down in baking dish lined with foil. Smear crust mixture over meat part of lamb generously . Bake in oven for 10 minutes then reduce to 180C (160C fan-forced) for a further 35 minutes. This can be done in a BBQ as well.

I usually bake a range of vegetables for an hour at the same temperature - sweet potato (kumera), pumpkin, onion, parsnip, beetroot and potato for significant other. Steamed broccoli, beans and asparagus go well.

Note: Frenched means fat removed – you can do this yourself if the price per kilo of frenched lamb freaks you out.

Cut the roots from the coriander and save for another day. Wash and finely chop leaves and stems.Mix all ingredients together in glass or metal bowl. Add chicken, stir through until chicken is well covered.Marinate in the fridge for 1-3 hours.

Shortcut: Put coriander and all other marinade ingredients into bowl of food processor. Process until well pulped.

Mix all of these ingredients in a large bowl until the honey is dissolved.

Chook:

500-1kg chook – the free-range I buy is usually about 600g and there is enough marinade to do up to a kilo.

Cut chook thighs into half – check for bone fragments and remove any excess fat left on the meat.

Add chook to the marinade, cover and keep in the fridge for at least an hour. You can prepare this a day ahead of needing it too.

Cook:

Best cooked over coals but can be cooked on a ridged grill pan (stove top) or at a pinch in the oven on tray preferably on a cooking rack (150 fan-forced, 170 otherwise). Baste with remaining marinade. Time – 30-45 minutes depending on how thick the chook is, how hot your fire etc etc etc.

Serve with a garden salad. My garden salad.... baby spinach leaves, rocket, avocado, home-grown fresh tomato, cucumber, olives, capsicum, mushrooms and asparagus. Chop into good size chunks that you can get your fork into and don’t forget to steam and blanche your asparagus.